Foul Moudama

SW: Clone Warsby yo go re

At the beginning, Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars cartoon was a fun romp, with some decent action, but the three-minute run time meant there was only so much each episode, or "chapter," could accomplish. When the allotted time quadrupled, things only got better, ramping up to a truly exciting finale in which the Separatist Army invaded Coruscant.

Jedi Knights Foul Moudama,
Shaak Ti, and the Ithorian, Roron Corobb, make a desperate attempt to keep General Grievous from kidnapping Chancellor Palpatine. Their thrilling chase is filled with incredible battles, amazing acrobatics and lots of close calls. In the end, Foul Moudama falls in battle to General Grievous' lightsabers, but his spirit will live on.

Foul Moudama (who, incidentally, is the only Jedi named after a Middle Eastern fava bean dip) is a Talz, better known as "the fuzzy white spider guy from the cantina scene." Though this figure is obviously based on Clone Wars, it's done in a realistic style - in fact, this figure uses 100% of the sculpt from the 1998 Muftak/Kabe set, which was an internet exclusive. That means he'll blend nicely with all the rest of your Star Wars toys.

The Talz are large creatures,
so this toy stands an inch taller than the average SW offering at 4¾". Articulation is very minimal, with only a swivel in his right elbow taking him beyond the Big Five. The head swivel is impaired by the fur on his neck, and the hips are a simple v-crotch. Hardly enough to fend off Grievous, but it's just a product of its time. Come on, the thing is a decade old at this point, cut it some slack.

Foul gets his own Jedi robes, so he's not running around naked like the rest of his species. He also gets
a comically large pair of boots to clomp around in. If you want to turn him into Muftak and put him in your own cantina collection, everything is removable: the boots have straps that plug in on the side, and the robe can slip off over his head; just pop the arms out of their sockets first. The boots have a leather texture, and the belt around his waist is surprisingly detailed.

The figure includes his blue lightsaber, which is rather disappointing. The hilt design is based on Luke Skywalker's second lightsaber, but the figure's hand isn't designed to hold it. He could really use a peg or something to help it stay in place. Additionally, there's a hole in his belt, like they wanted to have the lightsaber hang there, but there's no equivalent peg on the hilt, nor is the blade removable. It seems perhaps Hasbro was originally planning to make a new 'saber for Foul, but had to drop it for cost reasons. Shame, too, because it really brings the toy down.

Foul Moudama is a decent figure. He could really use some more articulation, if he's going to be a Jedi Knight, and you may need a rubberband to keep his weapon in place. But the goofy little outfit is fun, and now that more and more Clone Wars characters are getting the realistic treatment, he can be a part of the crowd.